Winning the fight for the climate, one community at a time

For a long time, efforts to stem the growth of global CO2 emissions and avert the impending climate chaos have been synonymous with complex international negotiations between governments.

The unwillingness of governments to commit to action has given those of us concerned about the future a reason for pessimism. However, a series of new recent victories might give reason to rethink what progress on climate looks like.

In Australia, the expansion of the world’s biggest coal export terminal in Newcastle has been delayed and looks likely to be shelved. The decision is due to lower than expected demand for Australia’s coal exports and concerted community action. Communities are taking action because they are not willing to put up with more coal trains and the toxic dust they spread.

The massive coal ports planned in the US Northwest seem to be hitting the same dead end. Coal demand is falling, partially because air pollution and other deadly impacts are forcing a re-evaluation of policies in importing countries and partially because renewable energy is booming.

The victory for the local movement in Newcastle came as our Rainbow Warrior is sailing along the coast in support of the communities taking a stand against planned monster coal terminals.

In Thailand, the country’s energy minister said yesterday that the proposed coal power plant in Krabi, one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations, should not be built. The announcement came on the heels of a Greenpeace climbing action and local community protests against the plan.

Another, even bigger coal power plant project was cancelled a week earlier in Poland, where Greenpeace and other organizations have been engaged in legal fights to keep the government from bending laws to give free CO2 emission permits to new coal.

What if the turning point in the global fight to avert climate chaos is not signatures of presidents and prime ministers on paper, but a line drawn in the sand by local communities that are not willing to put up with the deadly fossil fuel industry anymore?

From China to the US and Thailand to Turkey, there are more and more people who no longer buy into the argument that economic development and security are only possible at the price of clean air, clean water and the health of ourselves and our children. At the same time, renewable energy is booming and it is becoming clear that economic wellbeing does not require environmental destruction.

There is already a precedent. While the US administration was dragging its heels at the end of the last decade, the grassroots anti-coal movement successfully fought more than a hundred new coal power plant projects, doing more for the climate in a few years than 20 years of climate negotiations among the world’s most powerful countries.

What I know for sure is that we at Greenpeace will continue to make life hard for the dirty energy industry that stands between us and a safe future climate. As the deadly impacts of coal become more and more apparent, these victories will undoubtedly keep rolling in.

All these victories won by Greenpeace...simply amazing, don't you think?

Unfortunately nothing is changing what scares me most...

Sun Wu

PS: for the brighter: the Rainbow Warrior went down ALL THE WAY to NZ and Australia...what for? Of course, for a victory...unfortunately for me, no matter from what side I am looking, it seems to be only fund-raising related. Sorry...I try hard, but know we go back to the Arctic - expedition of James and Josefina, it is just about to culminate.

But I want the Rainbow Warrior, I baptized her, and you had your chance, now it is my turn to use her for what people worldwide donated for!

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(Unregistered) LouiseRamsay
says:

I have donated to the "Save the Arctic" campaign, which seems like a good idea, but I wonder if Greenpeace is working with the UN to try and...

I have donated to the "Save the Arctic" campaign, which seems like a good idea, but I wonder if Greenpeace is working with the UN to try and get a system established to limit the amount of fossil fuel extracted from the ground reduced internationally every year. It could be a system of licenses which allocates quota on a per capita basis - but reduces the quota every year so that legal extraction ultimately ceases altogether. (Over 30 years perhaps?) In the first instance, rich countries would no doubt buy quota from poor countries, causing a flow of money in the right direction. But the motivation to build in renewable energy capacity would be driven forwards. Any country caught defying the licensing process would be heavily fined and the money would go towards renewable energy & research funding, and to dismantle fossil fuel powered power stations.

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(Unregistered) LouiseRamsay
says:

I realise that my previous post suggests a variation of the contraction and convergence idea that was being discussed some years ago. But I think it is more workable. Rather than ration every individual to a certain quantity of C02 emissions - you limit each country to an allowance for a certain amount of fossil fuel extraction based on their population size. Of course it would lead to corruption, inevitably, and a robust UN policing authority would be vital. Greenpeace could play a part in investigating international activity and reacting to illegal behaviour. I do realise that it would be difficult to get world agreement for this system, but I think it is still a policy for Greenpeace to back and lobby for.

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Lauri
says:

Thanks for the comments!

Lupita, I do believe that making dirty energy more expensive economically and politically is an important part o...

Thanks for the comments!

Lupita, I do believe that making dirty energy more expensive economically and politically is an important part of the answer!

Sun Wu, I know personally some of the campaigners who are working on the Rainbow Warrior tour in Australia, and I can tell you what drives them is protecting the Reef and the climate from the planned massive expansion in coal exports. Reaching out to the local people around the planned terminals is one key way to do so.

Louise, rest assured that we continue to work on the international climate negotiations, and to do our best to get meaningful commitments or emission limits in place, and the money flowing as well. Right now it seems clear though that more progress and more pressure is needed on the national and local level before the governments are ready to commit internationally!

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(Unregistered) Sun Wu
says:

For years you guys tell us which road is to be taken...think Andrew calls it 'how we believe having the biggest impact'

For years...

For years you guys tell us which road is to be taken...think Andrew calls it 'how we believe having the biggest impact'

For years your ships are following the same route starting in the Amazon, some campaigning against overfishing on the way, NZ, Australia...and of cours, since you cancelled the Southern Ocean: you need a pole - recent years you visit the Arctic more frequently.

For years Greenpeace is following the same campaigns - they are ABSOLUTELY IDENTICAL to the campaigns from the last 4 decades.

For years you guys tell us environmental concerned people who we believe our fragile earth to be in urgent need for a powerful voice which way to take...BUT NOTHING IS CHANGING besides all these victories being put in scene to be announced in the Greenpeace-Cyberworld.

I strongly believe the Great Barrier Reef not to be a top priority target...

...and I strongly believe the only reason for Rainbow Warrior having gone down under is the fund-raising related.

Greenpeace Australia NEEDS money, they just got a loan of 2 Million $ from Greenpeace International.

Please, whatever campaigners you know are driven by...if they happen to be truely motivated to save our fragile earth...if you are correct they are cheated themselves.

IN TIMES WE ARE JUST ABOUT TO BLOW UP OUR FRAGILE EARTH GREENPEACE IS WORRYING ABOUT FINANCES...

...instead of adopting their list of campaigns to challenges of the 21st century and attack.

Attack the right TARGET...shit, don't give me this REEF-MISSION - it is one of our smaller problems...but I am waiting. You announced wanting to challenge Coal - I assume it is time for an Anchor Chain soon, correct?

This type of action can be done by to inflatables launched from the nearest beach. You do not need a 30 Million Dollar warship for it! If Greenpeace Australia wants MEDIA-ATTENTION, then they should start to work their little brains and come up with sométhing creative being worth called GREENPEACE.

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(Unregistered) Tara
says:

We are not saying or claiming "victory" when it comes to proposal to build several new coal plant in Thailand in the near future. What happe...

We are not saying or claiming "victory" when it comes to proposal to build several new coal plant in Thailand in the near future. What happened is that local oppositions to dirty coal have been everywhere and it is nothing to do with "NIMBY". This ended up into situation where Thai government-energy ministry and its National Utility-EGAT are not able to push any coal plants that has been planned under Power Development Plan.